Yamaha Royal Star
CRUISERS '96
YAMAHA ROYAL STAR
Mr. Max kicks back
LONG, LOW AND DRIPPING WITH NOSTALGIA, classically styled cruisers are what's hot. Yamaha's contribution to this newly rejuvenated category is the Royal Star, a 725-pound mega-motorcycle with an eye-popping $13,499 asking price.
According to Yamaha, marketing such a machine is not, repeat not, a blind roll of the dice.
“The demographics of past Yamaha owners and current Harley-Davidson owners are identical,” said R&D Manager Ed Burke at the bike’s Sedona, Arizona, press introduction. “According to our research, 83 percent of current Harley owners got their start on Japanese machinery-over 50 percent have ridden dual-purpose bikes. Eighty-five percent have ridden for 10 years or more, and 66 percent ranked motorcycling number one in their lives. What really surprised us, though, was that only 16 percent felt ‘Made in the USA’ was important.”
It may be manufactured in Japan, but the Royal Star's styling is definitely All-American. “From the beginning, this bike was made for the U.S. market,” said a company spokesman. “At one point, when we thought we were headed in the wrong direction, we shelved the prototypes and started over. That was tough to do because it put us a year behind schedule.”
Stablemate to the Royal Star is the $15,399 Tour Classic. It comes standard with ’50s-style windshield and saddlebags, and bears more than a passing resemblance to a Harley FLHR Road King. Yamaha doesn’t deny the similarity, but says, “We don’t want to copy anyone. The customer just wants a bike he can be proud of.”
In either standard or Tour Classic trim, the Royal Star is a bike of substance. The teardrop gas tank holds 4.8 gallons of fuel. Fenders weigh three pounds each. Fork shrouds are stainless steel. The broad handlebar measures one inch in diameter. Controls are hefty pieces, as if hewn from billet. Tires are fat, 150-series Dunlop D404s. Attention to detail is terrific. The speedometer, for example, is housed in a polished aluminum bezel atop the fuel tank. Beautiful. Chrome is thick and lustrous.
Tuned for low-speed ridability and torque, the I298cc engine is based on the liquid-cooled, 16-valve V-Four used in the Venture Royale and V-Max models. “It’s more like a Venture than a V-Max,” said Yamaha testing guru Mark Porter. Polished cases and bolt-on cylinder fins (“You can chrome ’em, paint ’em or polish ’em.”) give the engine a custom look. Carbs arc 28mm Mikunis with chrome-plated diaphragm covers, down from the V-Max’s 35mm mixers. “We really tried to make the 35s work,” said Porter. “They gave it good top-end horsepower, but no low-end torque.”
Though Sedona’s thin air hampered throttle response, the V-Four produces plenty of smooth, usable power. Despite the omission of counterbalancers, the engine doesn’t vibrate. It does pulse, though, in a pleasing sort of way. At an indicated 65 mph in top gear, the beat is peaceful and relaxed, almost soothing. The retro heel-and-toe shifter is a bit less appealing. Nostalgic yes, but not very precise. Gearing is tall, so much so that 60 mph comes at a low, low 2650 rpm in fifth. A quartet of chrome pipes and shorty mufflers delivers a throaty exhaust note. “Like a good-running V-Eight,” said Porter.
Designed to keep the deeply padded bucket seat in close proximity to the pavement, the double-cradle frame is constructed of large-diameter steel tubing. Wheelbase is 66.7 inches, longer even than a H-D Softail Custom. Straight-line stability is unmatched, yet steering is surprisingly light and neutral for a motorcycle with 29 degrees of rake and a 150/80-16 front tire.
A 43mm conventional fork and horizontally mounted, link-type rear damper offer a smooth ride and good control at moderate speeds. Spring and damping rates are identical for both the Royal Star and the Tour Classic, giving the lighter standard model a slightly firmer ride, particularly over patchwork pavement. Aggressive riding will ground the folding floorboards easily.
Looking as if they were lifted from the company’s supersport bikes, the Royal Star's brakes are the most powerful fitted to any production cruiser. Up front, there’s a pair of
solidly mounted ll.7-inch discs mated to four-piston calipers. A single 12.6-inch rotor and four-pot caliper (modulated by a rubber-covered, car-size brake pedal) are located at the rear.
Service and customer satisfaction are high on Yamaha's priority list. Royal Star mechanics will complete a mechanics seminar and training class, and a video owner’s manual will walk buyers through the motorcycle’s features, controls, operation, maintenance, adjustments and available accessories.
Accessorizing Royal Stars to satisfy individual tastes will be as simple as opening a catalog. Reportedly, hundreds of products are either in design or being produced. “Anything and everything will be available,” says Yamaha. Royal Star apparel - jackets, chaps, gloves, etc.-is also in the offing.
How many Royal Stars will Yamaha produce? “Just enough,” said a company spokesman, hinting that production numbers will be kept relatively low. “It's the right product, the market is there and the bike has all the things -power, styling, accessories-buyers are looking for.” We’ll see.
Matthew Miles
